CAIRO — After an eight-year hiatus, the Cairo Biennale, one of the major international art events in the Egyptian capital, returned June 10 with a high-profile show, “Eyes East Bound,” that puts the complex identity of the Middle East under a microscope.
The 13th edition of the biennial, which will continue until August 8, showcases the works of 80 artists from 50 countries with the aim of generating “an authentic dialogue” as an alternative to the clichés of today, remarked Ehab el-Laban, the exhibition's artistic director. On the biennial's website, Laban states that this year's exhibition “extends its invitation to artists to set their compasses to the East, their eyes to an alternative Orient.”